Obsessions
by Karasu's-Shadow
Summary: Rukia is obsessed with someone she will never truly have, and as Ichigo gets to know her, he finds himself trailing down the same path... AU. IchiRuki.
1. Crossing of Paths

**Disclaimer:** Bleach and all its characters belong to the brilliant Kubo Tite.

**Karasu:** I've had the idea for this fic quite some time now...I believe it will end up being four chapters long, though, don't count out the possibility of an extra chapter or two, perhaps even an epilogue, if I think it necessary.

Hope you enjoy. ( By the way, I'd like to add that writing this made me thirsty. XD )

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**Obsessions - **_"Crossing of Paths_"**  
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_Contemplative Coffee- _the name of a small coffeeshop near the outskirts of the city. It was a family-owned business so the coffee, the unique name, and the kindness were all homegrown. What first attracted Rukia to such a place was the fact that it was never crowded. Rukia hated crowds; she much preferred a place like Contemplative Coffee, even though she didn't drink coffee. It was a perfect setting for her to relax and read her books.

Ichigo was a Starbucks type. He loved the rush of zipping through the drive-thru, returning employees' fake smiles ocassionally (depending on his mood), and driving off with his decaf. Ichigo never outright admitted it, but he also liked to read. The only thing he read in public, however, was the local newspaper.

The day had been going bad enough for Ichigo as it was, but when he pulled up into the Starbucks' parking lot and was faced with a sign that read 'Closed for Remodeling', he was sure fate had something against him.

The day had been a normal one for Rukia so far. She'd gotten up, put on a loose-fitting outfit she could be comfortable in, and made her way to the coffeeshop. Once there, after greeting Orihime Inoue, the employee, Rukia retreated to her usual corner of the room, and started reading a volume of the book series she ordinarily read. Though she didn't know it at first, Rukia would also be cursing fate a week later.

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About the time she'd first opened her book, in came a young man who was apparantly in some sort of a hurry, judging by the way he was panting as if he were out of breath.

"You do have decaf here, right?" he huffed.

Orihime smiled warmly and nodded. "Yes, sir" -she was supposed to say to this even if the customer was her age or at least, close-"Would you like some?"

"Yeah" was his reply. Rukia glanced over the top of her book, distracted by his heavy breathing.

Ichigo looked around the place while he waited. Being the only "customer" besides himself, he almost immediately looked at Rukia, who was also looking at him. Both shifted their gazes elsewhere when they realized this.

"Idiot," Rukia mumbled as she tried to find where she left off in her book.

"Here you are, sir," Orihime said as she slid the cup and saucer across the counter to Ichigo.

Ichigo opened his mouth to thank her, but closed it before the words could come out. She'd given him fine china, which he assumed, meant he was supposed to drink it there. Being used to getting styrofoam cups, he just had to ask about it.

"I'm sorry, sir, but we aren't like Starbucks," Orihime explained with a neutral expression.

Ichigo blinked. It wasn't like he was going to be late to his job or anything, but still, he liked to get home to drink his coffee. Not wanting to be rude, Ichigo accepted the drink and took a seat near the wall opposite to Rukia.

At this point, Rukia was too caught up in her book to notice Ichigo was caught up in _her_. He hadn't even taken more than a sip of his drink for staring. After a few more minutes elapsed and he hadn't done anything but look at her, Ichigo reached into his back pocket and withdrew two yellow index cards -he kept on him by habit- and snatched up a pen left lying on the table. He scribbled words onto the first card, and sketched out a picture on the second.

Smiling, Ichigo returned the empty cup to the employee, and turned to leave. Taking one last glimpse of Rukia in, he decided that he might just come back the next day.

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**Karasu: **This was just the introductory chapter, so in other words, the twist hasn't even been revealed yet. Also, this was a fairly short chapter, I'll admit, and I judge that the other chapters won't be much longer.

**Summary of Chapter 2: **Everyone has a secret. Some are better at keeping theirs than others. When Ichigo thinks he's stumbled upon a secret of Rukia and confronts her with his suspicion, how will Rukia react?


	2. Hell Hath No Fury

**Disclaimer: **Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite. Not me... Sadly.

**Karasu:** The second chapter! I'm going to try and make the chapters longer, but not too long. Heh.

Well, anyways, enjoy the chapter. Rukia's secret is revealed. x)

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**Obsessions **-_"Hell Hath No Fury" _

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Rukia never tried to please anyone by being something she wasn't. This was most likely the exact reason why she'd been the object of Ichigo's obsession for the next few days after their brief encounter. Most girls would flirt with him without getting his name, or they'd change answers to his questions, thinking it'd suit his fancy if they made themselves sound _exactly_ like him. He found girls like that annoying. Rukia didn't even have to speak to him for Ichigo to know she was the exact opposite of the girls that typically stalked him.

He'd been extremely busy with his job for a few days, so Ichigo hadn't even been able to go to Starbucks, much less Contemplative Coffee. But it was on his to-do list, and once he'd beat out his deadline, Ichigo promised that he would go back, just to see if she was there.

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Rukia sighed. The newest book in her beloved book series was so close to being released, and it drove her mad. She'd read and re-read the previous book, sitting out hours upon hours trying to fathom how the cliffhanger would play out in the upcoming volume, and for the first time in the history of the story's cliffhangers, Rukia was left perpetually in the dark and unable to even blindly guess at the result. Which frankly, sucked for her.

_Dammit, Imperceptus... _-Imperceptus Veritas was the name that the series' author went by- _...You're a torturous bastard. _

Rukia's mental ranting was interrupted by the creaking of the door and the clanking of the wind chimes up against it. Her eyes raced towards the entrace, and she spotted the distractingly orange hair color of the guy whom she'd seen a few days before. A quiet groan escaped her throat.

Ichigo grinned when he saw Rukia, and feeling suddenly confident in himself, he sat down in the vacant seat across from her. "Hi there."

Rukia pretended she didn't notice him at first in hopes that he'd get the picture and remove himself. When he persisted by asking about the book she was reading, Rukia glanced over the top of it and looked him over, as if she was trying to size up whether or not he was worth her time. "...May I...help you?"

_Score one for me_. Ichigo ran a figure across his chin and glanced upwards. He didn't want to appear as anxious as he felt, and the first giveaway -he knew this from experience- was quick responses. "I'd love to know the lady's name."

"...It's Rukia."

"Rukia?...That's a unique name," -a smile crept its way across his face as he eyed the girl and her own abnormal features- "But it's still lovely."

What did he want with her? She was almost positive the way she acted would never earn her the attention of a guy, but somehow it had, and it was...strange if anything. Suspicion was natural for Rukia, but her suspicion towards Ichigo wasn't the normal kind of suspicion. "Thanks...I guess."

Ichigo hopped up from the seat and proceeded over to the counter. The auroma of brewing coffee had tickled his sense of smell to a point that he could almost _hear_ it beckoning him over. Rukia took this time to continue re-reading the book in her hands. She didn't pay Ichigo any attention when he sat back down; the obsessive fan was far too caught up in defining a peculiar line in the story, thinking it'd give something away if she knew what it meant.

"I take it you enjoy that series," Ichigo commented. He'd lifted the cup to his lips and pratically burned his fingers up so he didn't look like a fool, dropping the drink and blowing on the burns screaming 'Owwww!' at the top of his lungs.

"Yes, I do. And I'd appreciate it if you gave me the silence I require to read it," she snapped, suddenly loosing her patience when she realized the line from before held no significance to anything at all. _Damn! _

Ichigo's confidence fell considerably from that outburst. It seemed as though she enjoyed the book more than she enjoyed talking to him. In fact, he was almost sure of it. "Geez, you act like that book is so amazing..."

Rukia glared daggers at him. "It _is_ amazing. I can see how someone like you would think otherwise, though. I bet the longest thing you've ever read was the sports section of the local newspaper, am I right?"

He choked on his drink and slammed it down on the table so hard the liquid sloshed out onto the pages of her _sacred_ book; it partially spilled onto his shirt as well, but that went unnoticed by him until it started burning. "Shit."

Rukia glanced down at the ruined pages of her beloved book. First, she felt shocked into sitting there, wide-eyed, then she felt angered to such a point that the word "Dumbass!" fell curtly from her lips. Ichigo watched as the girl marched off and grabbed a towel, handed to her by Orihime. "Thank..." he began, thinking she'd _actually_ gone to get the towel for him; his mouth clamped shut when he realized it was for the book.

"Sorry about this, Caelestis," she mumbled while frantically swiping at the soggy places on the book where the words had bled into each other, making it hard to read. "It won't happen again..."

---

_What...the hell...did she say?_ Ichigo could have sworn on his life that Rukia had said 'Caelestis.' Why the hell would she be apologizing to a fictional character? He was the one she'd been so rude to; it made no sense whatsoever. Then again…

Maybe it did. "Is she…in love with the main character…?"

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**Karasu**: Okay so, in the summary I said that Ichigo would confront her about his discovery…but I decided not to try and drag this chapter out any more. It was surprisingly hard to pick back up and write this. Did I forget to mention that I wrote the first chapter almost a month ago…?

**Summary of Chapter 3**: ( Subject to change, mind you. XP ) Ichigo offers his apologizes to Rukia; lucky for him, he catches her on a good day. Deciding to push his luck, he asks if he can make up the incident by accompanying her to dinner. After a considerable amount of begging, she accepts his offer. ( Look out for more cameo characters. Teehee. )


	3. Favor for a Favor

**  
Disclaimer: **After much begging and pleading, a restraining order was placed upon me, and the rights to Bleach still remain in the hands of Kubo Tite. Dammit.

**Karasu:** Woohoo, I'm back with the latest installment of this fic, aren't we so happy? Anyways, this is the second-to-last chapter of Obsessions...Yes, I decided to stick to my idea to have four chapters.

Enjoy!

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**Obsessions** - _Favor for a Favor_

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After the incident with Rukia and her beloved book, Ichigo, determined to see her again, dropped by Contemplative Coffee twice a day, at one hour intervals, hoping to see her in the usual corner, huddled up against the wall, reading her book. A whole week went by, and Ichigo fell out of the pattern of looking for her; just when he was about to give up on hope, he chanced one last glimpse, and found the girl had returned. His heart skipped a beat as he walked in, trying not to make too much noise to alert her of his presence. She noticed anyways.

Her look was slightly undecipherable at first. It was rather blank and unmoving. Then he noticed the slightest trace of indifference in the way her pupils wavered. Having endured a moment of nothing but stares and silence, Rukia shifted her eyes back to her book pages.

Regardless of his initial feeling, Ichigo sat down, and tried to gather his words of apology up. "Rukia..." he began. She glared, and his heart jumped to his throat.

Feebly, he scratched at the back of his neck, and dropped his head gloomily. "I apologize."

Luckily for Ichigo, Rukia was in a considerably good mood, due to the recent release of the newest volume in her precious book series. Her features softened into a smile. "Apology accepted."

"You…what?" That definitely screwed up his plan. Originally, he figured she'd be angry for some time; this forced him to skip an entire step.

"Don't go deaf on me, Ichigo."

_She called me by name._ What made her so nice all of the sudden? He groped around in the back of his mind for a solution, when it was right in front of him. Plain as day. "The new volume…eh?"

Rukia nodded happily and flipped the page. "I love it."

Somehow, that response hurt worse than he'd expected. It occurred to him that he couldn't make her happy; only that book could. All he needed was one chance, and he was absolutely sure he'd be able to captivate her so much that the words printed into those books would completely fall from her mind. But no, she would _never_ grant him that chance. So he did all he could - talk about the one thing that seemed to make her happy. "Have you...gotten to the part where the new character is introduced?"

Rukia blinked and looked up at him. A suspicious glint filled her eyes. "New...character? You've read it?" No, she hadn't gotten that far. How would he have gotten that far so quick though? She was almost certain she'd been the first to grab the new volume off of the shelves of the one retailer that held the book in the whole city.

Ichigo shrugged and decided it might be a fun idea to toy around with her for a bit. "I know people in the business - in fact," he closed his eyes and leaned back, relaxed against the seat, "I could probably get you the first half of the next volume." He smirked to himself and awaited her priceless reaction.

Her breathing stopped, and her heart stilled. A hand went to her forehead in an attempt to hold herself still, she was shaking profusely. "You're...lying." She must've believed him anyways though, hence her reaction.

"I'm not."

"You have to be!" Rukia slammed her fist down against the table, causing everything on top of it to shake like an earthquake. "If you're not..." she began, her voice suddenly getting smaller, "would you do me a favor?"

Ichigo slowly returned to sitting in that tense, anxious position from before. "...what?"

Rukia forced her gaze to meet his. In her eyes shone a fierce determination unlike any Ichigo had ever seen before. "Introduce me."

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A favor for a favor. It figures, Rukia thought, half angrily. Then again, he promised to do me a favor too, so I can't really blame him for wanting something in return. In fact, the only way I'd recieve a favor from him without a favor being expected in return would be if...

No, that's a stupid idea. Rukia mentally scolded herself for even thinking something so absurd.

She pulled her knees into her chest and laid her head against them, awaiting Ichigo's arrival. He was supposed to be here five minutes ago. It's getting a bit late, isn't it? Not that it mattered if he came at all, as long as she still got the opportunity to meet a person on the book staff.

I haven't finished the new volume yet! Rukia jumped to her feet, half wondering how she even managed to forget about it for this long. What could've preoccupied her that much? Surely it couldn't have been her preparations for this so-called "date" she'd promised, could it?

"No chance in hell," she said to herself as she grabbed the book from it's resting spot. It came as a shock when she found that the book had even started collecting dust. "My God. I couldn't have been that caught up in getting ready-" But she _did_ make herself pretty damn presentable, to say the least. Silently, Rukia returned the book to it's spot and went back to her waiting.

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Ichigo offered her his arm as the approached the rather fancy restaurant. It was a _five star _restaurant actually, so fancy wouldn't even begin to describe it. Rukia was nervous about dining in such a place, when places like McDonalds or Taco Bell usually worked just fine for her. "Uh, Ichigo - are you sure about this?" An unpleasant shaking had infiltrated her voice as well, and it was bad enough for her to even take notice of it herself.

"I'm positive." His confidence was almost sickening. His presence at the coffee shop never would've alerted Rukia that he was more than used to eating at places like this. And just when she thought she had his character figured out -

"If you, say so..."

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It turned out to be a lot easier to manage through the date than Rukia thought. He didn't require much conversation out of her - his excuse was that all he wanted was to look at her. This made her blush and feel self-conscious whenever he did.

Her food was hardly touched; the chefs looked outraged about it, especially the one with the red-hair pulled into a tight ponytail, but Ichigo would glance down at her plate and give her an all-knowing smile. Eating like a barbarian in front of your date didn't tend to be attractive, as cliche as it was.

Then, towards the time the bill came in for the food, a local band started to play a song, and Ichigo insisted that Rukia dance with him.

"Wh-What?" Rukia spat, surprised out of her wits. Ironic as it was, she loved watching dancers and thought them elegant and all, but, she didn't know how to dance! _At all!_

"Don't go deaf on me, Rukia," he said, in a mocking tone. Three or four couples had already hit the dance floor, and Ichigo's hand remained in front of her, expectant. Quivering from head to toe, Rukia gave him her hand, and all at once he pulled her close. He was so sure of himself, it almost made her forget to worry.

They danced in perfect rhythm, despite Rukia's previous fear that she'd turn out to have to left feet. Whenever the song hit a high note, Ichigo twirled her around, and pulled her back into him, somewhat closer than before. By the end of the song, she'd forgotten every other presence in the room aside from him. This feeling somehow unsettled her, but made her happy at the same time. It was strange, probably because it was a feeling she wasn't so used to.

It was almost as if she didn't want the night to end. But alas, it had to.

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On the ride how, nothing much was said. Rukia sat, staring out the window, thinking about the events that had occured before. Was it just her imagining things, or did she really feel something for Ichigo out there on the dance floor?

Impossible. It wasn't him who she'd devoted so much time to. It wasn't him who'd kept her company all of those lonely days. It wasn't he who kept her company whenever her abusive ex-boyfriend tried to hurt her...

But he would've if he had the chance.

"Ichigo-" By the time she'd gathered the courage to speak, he was pulling up to her apartment room and getting out of the car. Like a gentleman, he opened her door and offered a hand to help. She grasped it weakly and was once again pulled to her feet again by his unwavering strength. "Rukia," he said, with a soft smile, "I enjoyed it."

Rukia met his eyes with her weary ones and collapsed against him before she'd even realized it. He blinked, and awkwardly wrapped his arms about her, while trying to make sure she didn't fall to the ground all together. "Are you alright?" he asked, clearly concerned.

"I...I don't know." It was an honest answer. He confused her on so many levels.

Ichigo pulled away far enough to look into her eyes once more, then, completely uncalled for, he snaked his hand through her hair, and pressed his lips against hers. As if he wasn't being assertive enough as it was. Eyes wide, she pulled away before it could go any further. "Ichigo," her voice shook, "don't. Please don't."

He didn't respond with words; his eyelids drooped and he forced a weak smile.

"Bye," she breathed quickly, seeing he wasn't going to say anything else. Rukia made her way up to the second floor and to her apartment room. The door slammed behind her, and she walked right by her 'precious book.' Within a few seconds of her head hitting the pillow, sleep overtook her, and by the next morning she'd completely forgotten Ichigo's promise. It was the date that she truly wished to forget, though.

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**Karasu: **Gosh, I can't believe how hard it was to get back into writing this! x.x;; Seriously, I felt like I was writing crap -hopefully it turned out good enough to tide my remaining readers over- the whole time. Well anyways, I'm going to try harder on the last chapter, which should be up fairly soon. Yay grand finale:D

**Preview of Final:**

A month. Has it really been that long? The young raven-haired woman picks up her dust-covered book and scans the pages, searching for where she left off. Tracing the lines with her eyes, the book grasps her once more, and it's not long until she learns the secret behind EVERYTHING. Found within the pages of a **dust-covered book**.


	4. Behind the Name

**Karasu: **The last chapter, folks. I'm happy I actually made it to this chapter! XD I didn't think I'd be able to finish it, but then a few months after last updating, I got a new review and decided I needed to get back into this. Woo, it's also pretty cool that I started this fic when I was 12, and I'm ending it as a 13-year-old. :)

Well, enjoy everyone! And make sure you keep up with my future works. ( I actually have summaries of future stories I plan to write in my profile, if you're interested in those. ;D )

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**Chapter 4, Final: **_Behind the Name -The Dust-Covered Book-_

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How long has it been? How many days? Rukia looks down at her fingers and counts them off until she can't remember the number she was on anymore. Her back against the wall, she falls to the ground, staring into the dimly lit ceiling light. It needed to be fixed. In fact, it's been needing fixing for quite a while now. She hadn't noticed it until these days - the days where she stayed home and stared off for hours without end. What am I supposed to think about? Wonder filled her eyes whenever the slightest movement of shadows danced across the walls. They were mostly created by passing cars.

Back when she got up early each morning to faithfully read about her favorite person, things were so simple. Sitting in the coffeeshop with whatever volume she wished, concentrating so hard she almost didn't notice anyone else.

Then _he _came and ruined everything; now, because of him, Rukia's days were spent doing absolutely nothing. Her eyes held no particular gleam anymore, and her skin color wasn't as radiant as before. All because of him. One person came and upset the balance of her whole world.

A vibration shook the earth, and the volume she never finished was rocked off of its spot on the cabinet. The front of it had pratically turned gray from all of the dust. Rukia's eyes went to the book slowly, and she didn't react until the dust from it had collected in the air around her. Hand extended, her bony fingers wrapped around the spine. "It's...you."

The book looked no different, minus the dust, from when she'd last seen it. Appreciative of this fact, Rukia, went through the pages, gathering that long-lost speed in her movements, and then she found the spot she'd left off.

Numbly, Rukia flipped through the pages one-by-one. Hours upon hours passed, and at the end of the third hour of her reading, the new character had finally appeared. No physical description was given aside from that she wore face-coverings and black clothing. Then it came. The next page over, the final chapter of the volume. "Seen But Not Heard," was the title it bore.

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Contemplative Coffee had gone out of business during Rukia's long absence. Ichigo passed by the abandoned place every once in a while to reminisce over the things that had occured there, and the things that had occured as a result of him meeting the raven-haired girl. He was lonely again, and even though he'd remembered her address by heart, he didn't dare to show his face. It was shameful that he'd dangled a prize over her head just to get a date. She didn't seem to appreciate it either.

Ichigo drove down the street, sunglasses on to block the Sun's rays on this hot summer day. The wind through his hair, he worked his way over to the side of the city where Starbucks was located, and gradually, he began to wonder if Rukia ever finished that last volume.

No, she couldn't have. If she had he would've known.

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A hand went to her mouth as a gasp escaped her lips. Widened eyes, shrunken pupils; Rukia read the words contained in the final chapter while shaking like it was the middle of winter.

The new character's physical description had finally gotten more detail to it. Black, rounded hair with blue eyes. She would've have suspected anything if a picture of the character hadn't been placed on the next page. It was a quick sketch on an index card apparantly, from the clearly visible parallel lines across the drawing.

The girl sketched out on the paper held an uncanny resemblance to the one looking at the picture.

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"Ichigo!" Rukia shouted, running down the busy street blindly. "Ichigo! Where are you?" She wasn't going to stop running until she found him, even if it took her the rest of her life without success. Nothing mattered anymore except finding him once more. "Ichigo!" Her footsteps hit the ground harder with each step. The strength she'd once had was returning at last.

A red convertible descended down the hill and onto the long stretch of level street. Ichigo ran his hand through his hair and sighed. Then he saw her. Running down the street, plain as day; distressed was the only word he could think of to describe her at that moment. He pulled the car to a screeching halt at the side of the road and hopped out, pursuing the girl as she was him. "Rukia!" he yelled, and that was all it took to stop her in her tracks. Her heart raced, but not out of surprise. Rukia knew she was fated to see him again, and that was all it took for her to make her mind.

Turning to face him again, a smile crossed her lips and tears brimmed her eyes. She wiped them away quickly before he could approach. "Do you know how big of an idiot you are?"

Ichigo laughed at being called an idiot - he somehow had missed her snappy words. "I probably do. You're still going to tell me why you think so though, aren't you?"

Rukia nodded and her smile widened. "I know your secret."

"Oh?" Ichigo said, an eyebrow lifted tauntingly. "You do, now?"

He took her up in his arms and rocked gently back and forth. "I'm a fool, is that what you know?" Rukia buried her head into his shirt and shook softly with her silent sobs. "God, Ichigo, yes, you're a fool."

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner," Ichigo whispered, while kissing her on the head.

Rukia drew back far enough to look into his eyes. They betrayed none of his words; sincerity was clear in them. "You know that new character was supposed to be the main character's love interest, right?" he asked, feeling the envy towards his own creation bubble up inside again. Rukia loved the character. Well, she had.

"Yes, and I appreciate it," Rukia traced the outline of his face with her fingers. "Who would have thought that someone like you, who drinks coffee from styrofoam cups, could author such an amazing book series?"

"They don't call me Imperceptus Veritas for nothing, Rukia."

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**Karasu:** ( Who seriously figured it out before I released this chapter? ;D ) I appreciate everyone who read this story and everyone who reviewed! I'd also like to recognize Mika for being the one to read it first and tell me if it's good or not before I published it. :)

I'm thinking I might do an epilogue sometime in the future - anyone for or against that?

**Notes: **I'm pretty sure 'Imperceptus Veritas' means 'Unknown Truth' in Latin; so if you're wondering about that last quote of Ichigo's - that's what he meant. Lol. x3


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